italiani.it interview with Andrea Caschetto
There are stories of apparently ordinary men, but with extraordinary powers. Powers not like those of our favorite superheroes, but capable of doing good nonetheless. This is the case of Andrea Caschetto, a common boy from Ragusa who for several years has been giving joys and smiles to less fortunate children.
Andrea Caschetto: from Ragusa along the five continents
Andrea Caschetto's is a story full of events, both beautiful and less beautiful.
«As a child I dreamed of becoming a magistrate or a footballer, or rather both in order to make history. But after the operation I had to review my plans "
At the age of 15, in fact, Andrea had to undergo a delicate brain surgery. A necessary operation, but one that partially compromised his short-term memory. Remembering events and people has thus become, for Andrea, a more complicated activity than his peers. Over time, however, he found that some memories were able to emerge from his memory. Memories like those related to "some important girl known around, the face of Pirlo in Italy's victory at the 2006 World Cup or those people who gave me emotions "
Then one day, returning from a trip to an orphanage in South Africa, he realized he remembered everything about that experience.. “I could remember the faces of the children, the games we had played and the difference between rich and poor»This event allowed Andrea to find the key to get his memory back. The experiences that managed to give him any emotion were in fact transformed into indelible memories.
From that moment on, the young Sicilian decided to travel the world and savor its every essence, grasp its every nuance.
Because traveling for Andrea has always been a "addiction, a desire to browse and get to know the many cultures. Because traveling, and doing it each time in a different way, managed to give me those emotions that would turn into memories "
Give smiles
The experience in South Africa made Andrea understand that giving joy and hope to less fortunate children was able to make him overcome his difficulties with short-term memory. But what does it feel like to do all this? For Andrea this is a form of selfishness "Because basically we do it to receive a smile in return". The advice is therefore to "be very, very selfish to give and receive. Helping others for a simple thank you and a sincere smile "
Smile which represents for Andrea his main source of energy. "Even today I wonder how I can always be so happy and positive. Could it be because I always smile? " he confides, also hoping "to never stop smiling»
The journey to the Amazon
Each trip offers unique emotions. And for those who, like Andrea, travel all year round, finding a specific one can be difficult. However, there is an episode that is particularly dear and significant to him. Episode that occurred during his trip to the Amazon, a place as fascinating as it is mysterious:
«I was in a village " tells "where there were no televisions or newspapers. One night, kissed by a splendid moon, looking on the river I noticed the figure of a very tall, robust and beautiful woman reflected on the water "
“This woman was hugging a much shorter, thinner man, much smaller in stature. Their love seemed unusual and outside the canons of us Westerners. How is it possible for such a woman to be with such a man? This thing made me think. Their love did not follow the canons of beauty we are used to. For them, love was and is simply feeling good with the other person, beyond the physical aspect "
The UN and the tour of South America in a wheelchair
But traveling is not Andrea's only activity. His dream is to be able to raise awareness in institutions and improve his city, his region and, why not, the whole world. "Be part of a congress with other politicians and share the experiences I have lived across the five continents. Giving advice, taking the most beautiful things seen and trying to have them applied in the area "
For now, his efforts are paying off, as demonstrated by the UN's recognition of social commitment. But the road is still long and Andrea has no intention of stopping.
«As long as I hold up, I go on. I have the ability to recharge with only 4 hours of sleep a day, in doing so I have more time to do everything I want to do "
And in the future? In January, a trip to South America in a wheelchair is planned. "I want to show that the term disabled, understood as a person unable to do something, is not entirely correct. It almost seems offensive. Instead, they are people who strive to do certain things in a different way than others. Like my memorization techniques "
Where the rainbow is born
His first book came out last October Where the rainbow is born (Joints publisher). A book that, according to its author, tries to explain how "find happiness after so much sadness, like the rainbow after the rain ". And he does so with the story of his travels: «The world tour for orphanages was a collection of experiences. Many decidedly beautiful, others a little less, but which I wanted to tell all the same. Because unforeseen events can always happen, but they are overcome. "
Not just a biography though. "Inside the book I have also reported seven stories of as many orphaned children to give a voice to those who do not have it. Unfortunately, not all of them were involved in the book, but there are many other stories to tell "
The proceeds will be donated to various non-profit organizations for the construction of schools, hospitals and other structures around the world. And given the success (currently the book is in reprint), many will certainly be made.
To continue the mission of Andrea's smile, the search for that rainbow in those places where the rain never stops falling.
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